The Rentals - Seven More Minutes

Seven More Minutes is a perfectly fine album that is a complete and total disappointment. You know how sometimes you'll wander into a restaurant, order something you've never had before and it turns out to be the greatest thing you've ever eaten. Then you return with friends, order the same thing, and it somehow just isn't the same. It has all the same ingredients and was cooked by the same chef, but it just doesn't quite live up to your expectations. That's what Seven More Minutes is. A disappointing second helping. Lemme just say that Return of the Rentals set the bar so high that almost anything would be a disappointment.

Seven More Minutes features all the usual Rentals suspects (minus the beautiful and talented Cherielynn Westrich, which is a real shame) plus a few friends. Tim Wheeler (of Ash, a great underrated band), Donna Matthews (of Elastica, a band I have an irrational love for), Damon Albarn (you know who he is, right?), Miki Berenyi (of Lush fame), and Maya Rudolph (yes, the very same Maya Rudolph) all make contributions to the album. I should love this album, but I don't. I like it, but it's not the same as my first taste of The Rentals. Oh, and it's about 3 to 4 songs too long.